Inside Out - The Blancpain Villeret Inverted Movement (Live Photos)

Blancpain has taken their usually quiet Villeret and and turned the volume up with the Inverted Movement. We're used to seeing movements through sapphire case backs, but showing its movement through the front, the Inverted Movement is a different animal entirely. The result is certainly noteworthy, and here are some of our thoughts.

Blancpain has taken their usually quiet Villeret and and turned the volume up with the Inverted Movement. We're used to seeing movements through sapphire case backs, but showing its movement through the front, the Inverted Movement is a different animal entirely. The result is certainly noteworthy, and here are some of our thoughts.

There's no denying that this watch is a "statement piece." The design is immediately striking, and at 43mm it is going to get noticed. Essentially what Blancpain has done is flip the movement over so that the large decorated bridges act as the dial. Pretty straightforward actually.

These bridges have been inlayed with black or white ceramic, are opened around the jewels, and have been both beveled and polished around the edges to create a mixture of textures and colors. You can see in the live photos just how much depth this adds to the appearance of the Inverted Movement. The white gold case back provides a solid backdrop, increasing contrast, whereas a sapphire case back would have cluttered things up.

The size is a little large for what is ostensibly a dress watch, and with all the jewels, screws, and polished edges, legibility can be tough at a few positions. But for those interested in buying this watch I don't suspect these will be deal-breakers.

One thing that might be interesting would be a traditional Villeret with a no-frills dial, in a smaller case size (which would be an easy fix, since the movement in here is only 35.64mm), featuring this movement decoration displayed through a sapphire case back. Understatement up front with a beautiful secret hidden behind is usually a winning recipe for really elegant dress watches.

But until then, this is certainly a fun one to ogle from the folks at Blancpain.